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After hearing rumors that Jorge Masvidal wasn’t seriously training for their announced clash at UFC 269, Leon Edwards wasn’t surprised when “Gamebred pulled out of their welterweight fight last week.

"I knew he was going to," Edwards told ESPN. "I heard some news coming back that he was looking a bit fat, he was looking chubby still. I didn't think he was training for it to be honest. I always knew he was going to run away. It's been three years since the incident in London and he's been dodging me ever since.”

Interest in a grudge match between Edwards and Masvidal began after UFC Fight Night 147 in London, when the two men had an altercation backstage following the event. Masvidal went viral after hitting Edwards with a “three-piece and a soda” combination during that scuffle, which helped raise his profile significantly. It’s been more than two years since then, and Masvidal has enjoyed the spoils of stardom with a headlining bout at Madison Square Garden and a pa…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

A light heavyweight showdown between Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev is in the works to serve as the main event for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on March 12.

ESPN was first to report the booking, which is in the process of being finalized. The event does not yet have a location.

A former light heavyweight title challenger, Santos halted a three-bout skid in his last outing, when he took a five-round verdict against Johnny Walker in the UFC Fight Night 193 main event on Oct. 2. After a lengthy stint at middleweight, “Marreta” earned a title shot following finishes of Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz at 205 pounds. The 37-year-old Brazilian gave then champ Jon Jones a difficult test, falling to “Bones” via split decision at UFC 239.

Ankalaev, 29, is one of the fastest-rising talents in the light heavyweight division. The Dagestani has won seven consecutive contests …

Streaming now: Suspect allegedly stabbed doctor in the neck with a bone https://t.co/TbmUSH5ssd

— KUAM News (@kuamnews) November 10, 2021

Professional mixed martial artist Akmal Khozhiev was arrested in Guam after an argument over the COVID-19 vaccination turned deadly.

According to multiple reports, 27-year-old Khozhiev was charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder with a deadly weapon and second-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing of Dr. Miran Ribati on Nov. 7 at the Poinciana Apartments in Tamuning, Guam. Bail has been set at $1 million.

“Sir it’s me, I killed him,” Khozhiev allegedly told police prior to his arrest. Ribati was declared dead at the scene.

According to the Guam Daily Post, Khoziev and Ribati, 42, knew each other from a local gym and reportedly returned to Khozhiev’s residence to have dinner after spending the day at the beach. A witness said that the two men bega…

Khama Worthy’s Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure got off to a spectacular start, but he was unable to maintain that momentum.

The lightweight competitor recently announced that he was released from the Las Vegas-based promotion in a post on his Instagram account. The 35-year-old known as “The Deathstar” went 2-3 in UFC competition.

“I just got word from my management team that I’ve been cut by the UFC,” Worthy wrote.

“…One door closes and another one opens, this lion still has the hunger in him, back on the hunt we go.”

Worthy’s Octagon debut came on less than a week’s notice, when he stopped Devonte Smith via technical knockout in the opening round at UFC 241. The Pittsburgh native followed that victory with a third-round submission of Luis Pena at UFC on ESPN 12. Since then, Worthy has suffered three consecutive first-round TKO defeats, falling to Ottman Azaitar, Jamie Mullarkey and Jai Herbert in succession.

Worthy is 16-9 over the course of a profes…

Max Holloway further strengthened his case for a trilogy bout against reigning featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski with a memorable performance in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner on Saturday night.

Holloway emerged with a hard-fought five-round verdict over the returning Yair Rodriguez on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for his second consecutive triumph. The Hawaiian standout shook off a strong start from Rodriguez — including numerous damaging low kicks — to gradually impose his will through multi-punch combinations, takedowns and clinch work. Rodriguez gave one final push in the fifth round, but it wasn’t enough to sway the scorecards in his favor.

“It’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen,” UFC president Dana White said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “The fact that Yair was off for two years and comes in and puts on a performance like this, unheard of. It’s incredible.

“Then Max, I didn’t think he was going to make it out of the s…

Wasting NO time, @Pezao011 gets it done in under 1 minute

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card Live NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/a3W6Nb5C9S

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 There was no question that Marcos Rogerio de Lima had Ben Rothwell reeling prior to the bout’s stoppage during their co-main event clash at UFC Fight Night 197 on Saturday.

However, referee Herb Dean created some confusion when he appeared to step in and halt the heavyweight bout before backing off as de Lima battered his foe with power punches. After the veteran official’s near intervention, Rothwell dropped for a desperation takedown, only to pull de Lima on top of him. De Lima turned to Dean while in top position to indicate he was no longer attacking, and at that point, Dean officially called off the fight.

The manner in which the stoppage occurred drew some criticism from UFC president Dana White at the post-fight press conference.

“Herb needs to stop touchin…

A lightweight clash between Nasrat Haqparast and John Makdessi is in the works for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Feb. 19.

ESPN was first to report the matchup. The event does not yet have an official location or headliner.

Haqparast last appeared a UFC 266, where he had a two-bout winning streak snapped in a unanimous decision loss to Dan Hooker on Sept. 25. The 26-year-old Tristar Gym representative is 5-3 in UFC competition and 13-4 as a professional overall.

Makdessi, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five UFC bouts. Most recently, “The Bull” garnered a split decision triumph against Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10. Makdessi has fought once per year dating back to 2017.

What this sport's all about

Max and Yair share a moment after #UFCVegas42 pic.twitter.com/q5sdPPp1Wy

— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) November 14, 2021 Neither Max Holloway nor Yair Rodriguez was able to attend the UFC Fight Night 197 post-fight press conference due to damage absorbed in their headlining bout, but that didn’t prevent the two featherweight contenders from sharing a post-fight moment.

Before Holloway and Rodriguez were transported to the hospital, they paid respects to each other once more and shared a photo-op inside Rodriguez’s ambulance.

Holloway defeated Rodriguez via unanimous decision at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, earning scorecards of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 from the cageside judges in a “Fight of the Year” candidate.

@BlessedMMA and @panteraufc both taking a ride to the hospital. Max climbed in to Yair’s ambulance to congratulate Yair for one of the best fights ever. pic.twitter.com/Sl8m9O75aC<…

These two left it all in the Octagon

@BlessedMMA & @PanteraUFC earn your FOTN honors.

[ B2YB @ToyoTires | #UFCVegas42 ] pic.twitter.com/1wNwMGX6x5 — UFC (@ufc) November 14, 2021

The UFC Fight Night 197 main event met the lofty expectations that preceded it, and both Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez received some extra financial compensation as a result.

Holloway vs. Rodriguez was an easy choice for “Fight of the Night,” as both featherweights received $50,000 apiece for their five-round battle at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. Rodriguez pushed the former champ in the opening round and the final round, but in between, Holloway was able to effectively blend striking and grappling for a unanimous decision triumph — his second straight in the Octagon.

Elsewhere, Kalinn Williams garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check thanks to a technical knockout of Miguel Baeza in the featured welterweight clash. After de…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Max Holloway was all smiles after he passed one of the most difficult tests of his career. The former undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder grinded through five amazing rounds with “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner Yair Rodriguez and exited the Octagon with a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 197 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges sided with Holloway (23-6, 19-6 UFC): 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.

Leaving it all on the line

[ #UFCVegas42 | Main Card Live NOW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/sP1CvuphtX

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 Rodriguez (13-3, 8-2 UFC) made his intentions known after a two-year absence, as he targeted the Hawaiian’s base with repeated kic…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 197 coverage will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below. Round 1 Welcome back to the UFC Apex, a building we will remain for four of the last five UFC cards this year. After two supermassive pay-per-view black holes, we return to Fight Night fare, with a potentially thrilling main event but only a few other ranked fighters across the remainder of the bill. We will try to catch our breath from the madness that was UFC 278 with an 11-fight offering that begins in the light heavyweight division. Two strikers that vastly prefer the knockout while sporting just one submission win between them come to blows at 205 pounds, when Nzechukwu (9-1, 3-1 UFC) meets Jung (14…

Statement made by Joel Alvarez

[ #UFCVegas42 | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ck4myVEAEq

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC, PFL, Dana White’s Contender Series and “The Ultimate Fighter” live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Joel Alvarez planted his flag in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division and shoved Thiago Moises out of the way while doing so. The surging Spaniard discarded Moises with elbows and punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 197 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Moises (15-6, 4-4 UFC) met his end 3:01 into Round 1, as the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion lost for the second time in as many outings.

Alvarez (19-2, 4-1 UFC) bullied the American Top Team representative from start to finish, leaning on six-inch height and reach advantages. He backe…

Those who dare to stand and trade with Cristiane Justino do so at their own peril.

“Cyborg” retained the undisputed Bellator MMA women’s featherweight championship in resounding fashion, as she knocked out Sinead Kavanagh in the first round of their Bellator 271 headliner on Friday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Kavanagh (7-5, 4-5 Bellator) bit the dust 92 seconds into Round 1, her name having been added to the Brazilian juggernaut’s long list of victims.

Justino (25-2, 4-0 Bellator) blitzed out of the gate, settled into the clinch and then drifted back to open space. The two women traded shots along the fence, and though Kavanagh circled out and connected, her chin could not withstand the return fire. Justino folded her with a clean right hook, trailed her to the canvas and drew the curtain with hammerfists.

Meanwhile, Sanford MMA export Linton Vassell won for the third time in as many outings, as he took a split decision from Tyre…

Sherdog's live Bellator 271 coverage kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Bellator Women's Featherweight Title Bout:Cris Cyborg (145) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (145) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

Max makes our Main Event official, coming in at 146 lbs

[ #UFCVegas42 | Tomorrow | Prelims 1 | Main Card 4 | Live on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/mRR8CNV1Y5

— UFC (@ufc) November 12, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Fighters are beginning to pay more for missing weight, with 30% fines coming out for those heavy by 1.5 pounds or more.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with UFC Fight Night 197 this weekend, which features a high-stakes matchup between featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez.

While the headliners had no issue making weight, two prelim fighters failed to hit their agreed-upon weights. Joel Alvarez came in 1.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his bout against Thiago Moises, and Liana Jojua came in 2.5 pounds heavy for her flyweight contest against Cortney Casey. Both mat…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUpbGm9M67I&w=560&h=315] It appears as though the support of the Pitbull brothers has helped former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder Renan Barao rediscover his love for mixed martial arts. Barao will return to the cage to vie for the Premier Fighting Championship featherweight title when he faces Tyson Duckworth on Nov. 19 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“I definitely regained my desire to train and fight with the Pitbull brothers, and now I’m returning in great shape,” said Barao, who arrived in the United States early for a variety of reasons. “There’s a lot of bureaucratic red tape due to the pandemic, so I decided to get here before the fight, not only to avoid possible problems but also to get adapted to the climate and time zone.”

Barao held the UFC bantamweight championship between 2012 and 2014 and was considered one of the Top 5 pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. However, after he surrendere…

Can’t wait for this one. Morono with the violence https://t.co/I5uq8hlCnu

— Ramiz Brahimaj (@170Ramiz) November 12, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Action Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights will throw down inside the Octagon in under a month. On Friday, MMA Junkie first reported that Alex Morono (20-7) will come to blows with Mickey Gall (7-3) in what should be an entertaining 170-pound clash on Dec. 4. The two will lock horns at UFC on ESPN 31, which will take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sherdog has since confirmed the news of this booking with a source close to the situation.

Morono has won his last two, prevailing twice in 2021 over Donald Cerrone and David Zawada. “The Great White” knocked Cerrone out in the first round in May, and went on to capture a clear-cut unanimous decision in September over t…

Khabib Nurmagomedov'un kardeşi Moskova'da gözaltına alındı. Usman Nurmagomedov'un bir polis memurunu ezdiğinden şüpheleniliyor. pic.twitter.com/Tjw4KWy7gs

— RUSEN Press (@RusenPress) November 11, 2021 Bellator MMA lightweight prospect Usman Nurmagomedov has been taken into custody for reportedly running a police officer over at an airport in Russia.

Early Thursday morning, Rusen Press posted a document that included a potential mugshot for Nurmagomedov and a friend, while noting that he had been detained under suspicion of “crushing a police officer.” Russian outlet TASS then reported that Nurmagomedov and friend Kamal Idrisov had indeed been arrested at the Kaspiysk airport.

Per the press office of a department of the Russian Interior Ministry, “They are suspected of running over a policeman with a car at the checkpoint of Kaspiysk Airport.”

According to the report, two men in a Toyota Camry with tinted windows and no license plates were…

It wasn’t the outcome fans were hoping for, but the fight was fun until it lasted.

The “One: NextGen 2” main event saw Rittewada Petchyindee cut former One bantamweight muay Thai title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex open with an elbow to force a doctor stoppage. Saemapetch adopted a wait-and-see approach, absorbing some of his opponent’s front kicks so that he could answer with three-punch combinations. The 2017 Lumpinee Stadium champ Rittewada scored a spinning back elbow, but a few seconds later, Saemapetch retaliated with a series of punches that knocked his opponent down. Although Rittewada beat the count, he lost the opening round due to the knockdown.

Like a hot knife through butter Rittewada takes home the TKO over Saemapetch due to doctor stoppage! #ONENextGen2 #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/0ygdQqAtPC

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 12, 2021 In the second frame, Saemapetch looked comfortable as he stumb…

No elevators to the top I’ll take the stairs pic.twitter.com/Q1z5nM3nmf

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) November 11, 2021 Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not done building up its year-end card on Dec. 18. MMA Junkie first reported on Thursday that Stephen Thompson (16-5-1) will be facing Belal Muhammad (19-3, 1 NC) at UFC Fight Night 199. The two welterweights will go to battle on Dec. 18 inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Shortly after the booking was announced, Muhammad confirmed the fight on Twitter.

Thompson had a two-fight win streak snapped when he met Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 in July, falling short to his fellow former 170-pound title challenger by unanimous verdict. The setback blunted the momentum that “Wonderboy” had gained by defeating surging contenders Vicente Luque in 2019 and Geof…

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. In the span of a few weeks, Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Kyle Daukaus has flipped through a litany of opponents and fight dates. Daukaus (10-2, 1 NC) was initially booked in a rematch against Kevin Holland at UFC Fight Night 197 on Nov. 13, but Holland suffered an injury and was forced out of their bout. They first fought in October, and an inadvertent clash of heads led to a no contest ruling. When Holland withdrew, the fight card shuffled and Daukaus ended up planning on meeting Roman Dolidze. This too dematerialized when Dolidze was removed from the card due to COVID-19 protocols.

As the organization was unable to book a replacement opponent a couple day before the event, Daukaus was pulled from the card. On Thursday, MMA Junkie was the first to break the story that Daukaus will now be fighting on Feb. 19 …

We kick off December with Regian Eersel vs. Islam Murtazaev for the ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Title, Stamp Fairtex vs. Ritu Phogat for the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Title, and MORE! @PhogatRitu @MarcusBuchecha #ONEWinterWarriors #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/4BccRTs0mc

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) November 11, 2021 In less than a month, the One Championship atomweight grand prix will come to a close.

On Thursday, One sent out a press release announcing its six-fight card that will take place on Dec. 3. The show, titled “Winter Warriors,” will see the atomweight (115 pounds) tournament finals as well as a lightweight (170 pounds) kickboxing strap on the line in its live card. In the main event, Regian Eersel will put up his 170-pound kickboxing belt as he takes on Islam Murtazaev.

In the co-headlining bout, the finals of the 115-pound women’s tourney will see Nong Stamp (7-1) take on Ritu Phog…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkNaOR3Xf5c&w=640&h=360] Editor's note: The article has been updated at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 11 to reflect that an additional fighter had missed weight.

Bellator 271's headline bout for the Bellator MMA women's featherweight championship is now official.

Both women had no issue making weight with Justino (24-2) weighing 145 pounds exactly, and Kavanagh (7-4) coming in at the same weight. However, a prelim bout between Shane O'Shea vs. Jordan Newman has been canceled after O'Shea didn't weigh in for an undisclosed reason. Additionally, Robert Turnquest (177.8) came in 6.8 pounds above the welterweight limit, and his matchup with Roman Faraldo may be in jeopardy.

Justino comes into the bout undefeated inside the Bellator cage. "Cyborg" most recently defeated Leslie Smith in a dominant performance, and before that, she submitted Arlene Blencowe after finishing Julia Budd to win the belt. Meanwhile, Kavanagh has strung together two wi…

Gym owner and former MMA fighter Scott Fairlamb was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for punching a police officer during the Capitol riot that took place in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, according to Politico.

Fairlamb, 44, is the first defendant charged with assaulting an officer to face sentencing. Royce Lamberth, the federal judge who imposed the sentence, said he expects Fairlamb’s term will be lower than the others who are facing charges stemming from the riot. Fairlamb’s decision to plead guilty and expression of remorse helped lower his sentence, according to Lamberth.

“Had you gone to trial, I don’t think there’s any jury that could have acquitted you or would have acquitted you,” Lamberth said. “You couldn’t have beat this.”

Fairlamb will also face 36 months of supervised release after he gets out of prison.

Fairlamb was reportedly one of the first people to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, carrying a stolen police baton on his way throu…